Maternal Instinct
by IKnowHowTheSafetyWorks
Summary: A collection of Andrea-Judith central One-shots and how Andrea handles motherhood. Disclaimer: I do not own TWD.
1. Lullaby

**Maternal Instinct**

Ch.1: Lullaby

Andrea awoke first.

She glanced at Rick, who slept on, regardless of the loud cries of his daughter in the next room. Rolling her eyes, she tossed back the quilt and grabbed Ricks shirt, slipping it over, to cover her modesty, and tip-toed out of the room. Rick didn't stir.

"Hey, baby." She whispered, as she walked into Judith's room. "Whats up, Jiji?" She used the nickname they'd given the girl, because Judith was simply too grown up for such a little person.

The little girls big, brown eyes were filled with tears and her bottom lip wobbled as she looked up at Andrea. She raised her arms and Andrea untucked the covers from around her, lifting the baby up. Immediately, Judith nuzzled into her neck, into the curved space that she fit into just right, and her crying quietened, turning to a soft whimpering. Andrea felt a few stray tears slide onto her neck as the child finally settled down.

Andrea paced the room, rhythmically patting the babys back and humming soothingly. She wasn't cold and she'd had a diaper change not an hour earlier, she couldn't be hungry (they'd weaned her off night feeds as early as possible) and there had been no noise to wake her, that Andrea had heard. The child was simply unsettled.

She squirmed in Andreas arm and Andrea shifted the child so that her cheek lay against her shoulder. This change in position seemed to soothe her further and she settled, her lips forming a perfectly round 'o'. Andrea reached into the crib, slipping the childs dummy into her mouth as her hand came up to lightly grip a strand of her blonde hair.

Andreas heart fluttered as the babys tiny fingers curled around her curl and she smiled down, lightly holding the babys hand with one of hers, running her thumb over the babys fingers. She started to quietly sing a lullaby her mother had sung to her as a child.

_"Two little boys had two little toys  
Each had a wooden horse  
Gaily they played each summers day  
Warriors both of cause  
One little chap then had a mishap  
Broke off his horses head  
Wept for his toy, then cried with joy  
As his young playmate said_

_Did you think I would leave you crying_  
_When there's room on my horse for two_  
_Climb up here, Jack and don't be crying_  
_I can go just as fast with two_  
_When we grow up we'll both be soliders_  
_And our horses will not be toys_  
_Do you think that we'll remember,_  
_Two little boys?"_

The last note hung in the air and one little tear dropped onto the babys face. Andrea tilted her head bac, attempting to dispel the few tears which had pooled in her eyes, and blinked. The song brought back so many memories for her. Even when she was little, it would leave a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes. Now, the pain brought on by the song was soothed only by the warmth emmitted by the tiny person in her arms and then way she could feel Judiths heart beat stubbornly in her chest, incessant even in this godforsaken world.

"Andrea?" Ricks sleepy voice came from the doorway and she turned, his shirt flapping around her legs. She put a finger to her lips, indicating the sleeping baby held close by her other arm and he smiled. "You're so good with her."

"I'm no better than anyone else is," She whispered, slipping the baby back into her crib, smiling down at her sleeping form. She tucked the blankets around the baby and then tucked her own hair behind her ear, crouching down and leaning her head on her arms.

"You are." Rick disagreed, quietly, walking over and putting his hands on her shoulders. "She's gonna need a mother, Andrea."

She froze up at his words and his hands gently rubbed her shoulders, feeling the tension in her muscles. "Andrea?"

"I...She has Carol. And Beth. Maggie?" She replied, feebly.

She'd give anything to be this little girls mother. From the first time she felt Judiths tiny heartbeat against her own, she'd fallen head over heels and the baby held her heart in her hands as easily as she'd held her hair. The truth was, though, Andrea already felt like she was sleeping in Lori's grave.

She was sleeping with her husband, at least.

"Andrea." Rick said, reaching into the babys crib. He pulled out the sole stuffed bear which resided there and held it up in front of her. It was a little pink thing, a square of silken fabric attatched to its hand, like a security blanket. Emblazoned across its chest were the words 'baby girl'. "You risked your life because you wanted her to have something that every child has. A bear. Who, but a mother, would do that?"

"But Lori-"

"Is not here anymore." Rick grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room and holding her arms. "Andrea, I'm not saying we don't tell her about Lori, one day. I'm saying she needs a mother _now. _And I've seen how she is with you just as much as I see how you are with her. She'd rather go to you than to me, most days." He said it with a slight smile on his lips so she knew he took it kind heartedly.

She smiled back.


	2. Normal

**Maternal Instinct**

Ch.2: Normal  


Andrea looked around their new home with a smile on her face. For the first tme, she thought they might be able to sette down here for longer than a few weeks or months. They might be able to make a permenant home here. They'd not seen Walkers in a few days, but that might be because it was heading towards Winter and they were starting to slow. There'd be more by Spring again, there always were. They were like bugs, they started to die out in Winter but by Spring and Summer, they were back in full force.

The house was similar to Hershels farmhouse; large and homely. There were no bodies to clear; either they'd gotten up and walked away, dead, or they'd left before the outbreak got as bad as it did. Either way, Andrea was pleased that they'd left. It felt awful to dwell over someone else's misfortune but at the same time, she couldn't help but be grateful.

"You're not gonna believe this." Ricks voice came, loudly, from the stairs and she walked out of the lounge and into the hallway. He was walking down the stairs with two large boxes in his arms and when she saw the pictures on the boxes, she couldn't help but laugh out loud with glee.

"A pram and a baby-walker?" She asked, amazed. "I can't believe it."

"Yeah, the people who lived here must have had a baby."

The each took a moment of silenc at Ricks use of the past tense, as if they were taking a moment for the family who lived here before them. Andrea took the pram box from him; it was heavier than she expected but she took it into the lounge to put it up.

She looked, in amazement, as something so _normal _and _right_ unfolded at her fingertips. Shepushed the pram to the door, opening it and pushing it onto the porch. The others were all seated on the grass in front of the house, Maggie playing with Judith. They looked up in and Andrea watched as their faces broke into smiles of amazement. Glenn laughed outloud and whooped. Daryl pulled his 'little-ass kicker' into his arms and walked over to Andrea holding her.

Judith lunged for Andrea, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. She'd been asleep when they arrived and usually Andrea was the first one she saw when she woke up. It was clear that Judith wasn't fond of this change in her routine.

"Hey, my sweetpea. What have I got for you?" She cooed, seating the little girl into the pram. Judith looked at it in amazement and then looked up at Andrea, her expression comical. She'd clearly picked up on the mood of the others because she made a whooping sound similar to Glens and they all laughed. Carl jogged over to the pram and gave a slight smile.

"S'good for her." He said to Andrea, who nodded. "Normal."

"Yeah," She replied, ruffling his hair playfully. "Normal feels pretty amazing right now."

* * *

**I know, I know. It's pretty idealistic, right? Oh well, it's cute.**

**Hope you guys like it! I've got so many chapters planned for this.**


	3. Words

**Maternal Instinct**

Ch.3: Words  


Humming to herself, Andrea happily sat, listening to Judith gurgle away, pleasantly, in her walker, running around the lounge. She glanced at the baby, who looked up at her with big brown eyes. Judith laughed, clapping her hands together and Andrea couldn't help but grin back at her.

"You happy, baby?" She asked and Judith moved, quickly hitting the sofa. She had a habit of doing this and so everyone had learned to keep their feet out of her way. She grinned at the laughing baby and turned back to her book. She hadn't found a single book, in the six months they'd been there, that she actually liked but she didn't think this one was going to badly.

"Mamma!"

Andreas hand froze as she moved to turn the page, her heart jumping in her chest. Rick, who'd been whistling to himself in the kitchen, stopped. The baby had shouted and startled them both. Andrea couldn't look at the baby, didn't want to acknowledge how happy that word made her, feeling so guilty about it.

She faced the doorway and as Ricks face came too view, she saw the small smile on his face. In his eyes, she could see how shellshocked she looked and his smile faded slightly at her expression.

"You taught her that?" She said; it came out in barely a whisper.

"I didn't teach her that." He shook his head, "I thought you did."

Andrea shook her head slightly, sighed and then looked at the baby. Judith gazed up at her with innocent eyes filled with love and Andreas heart almost broke. She couldn't turn away from those eyes but, at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder whether the child would resent her, when she was grown, for trying to take Lori's place.

"I taught her it." A voice came from the doorway and they both turned to look at Carl, who stood in the other doorway leading into the room. "I'm not a kid anymore-" It was true. They'd just 'celebrated' Carls fifteenth birthday. "I know that she might be mums and Shanes baby. So if she might not be dads, why can't she be both of yours?"

Andrea gazed at the boy in wonder. She had sensed what Loris death did to Carl when she returned from Woodbury, seen how broken the child was. He'd transformed, in the past two years, from a baby into almost a man. This declaration took both her and Rick by surprise.

"Makes sense." Rick stated, from the other doorway. "I said it to you before, Andrea, she needs a mother."

Andrea smiled at the baby, not looking at either of the men, because she felt that Carl truly was a man now.

"Mamma!" The baby repeated and Andrea felt tears spring to her eyes, uncontrollably.

"Yeah, baby," She said, lifting the baby out of her walker, "Mamma."

* * *

**Dont guilt trip me about Lori, okay? Guys? ;)  
**

**It's going somewhere now, I think.. :)**


	4. Siblings

**Maternal Instinct**

Ch.4: Siblings

So Maggie got pregnant. It wasn't that much of a surprise. She and Glenn were married, after all, he'd proposed and Hershel, the most religious of them all, had married them. Glenn was overjoyed and when their beautiful little boy, Charlie, was born, he brought joy to the entire family.

Judith, who was one and a half by then, was a little put out by the arrival but Andrea made enough of a fuss of her that she soon warmed up to the little boy and as soon as Charlie was able to do something more than eat, sleep and cry, they became the best of friends.

When Andrea got pregnant, however, they weren't really sure what to expect.

"Baby?" A three year old Judith asked, confusedly, staring from Andreas slightly swollen stomach to her face. Andrea nodded and Judith tilted her head to the side. "Like Charlie?"

"We don't know yet," Rick replied, crouching in front of his daughter, "It might be a boy like Charlie, or a little girl, like Jiji." He emphasised the final word by playfully tapping her on the nose. She scrunched her nose up and shrunk away from him, her arm wrapping around Andreas leg, a giggle on her lips.

"Are you happy about this, sweetpea?" Andrea asked, crouching down and taking hold of one of Judiths hands, stroking back her fine, brown hair as she did so.

"Well, I like Charlie." She said, with a childlike innocence which made her parents smile. Andrea looked up at Rick, who smirked down at them.

"What will the baby be called?" Judith asked as Andrea stood up, balancing the little girl on her hip.

"Congratulations!" Maggies voice came from the backdoor, interrupting their conversation, and Rick and Andrea retreated into the kitchen, where Maggie and Glenn were enterring the door with the rest of the family. Beth set her newphew on the floor and Judith squirmed out of Andreas arms, walking over to Charlie and wrapping her arms around his neck in greeting.

"How did you know?" Andrea laughed, accepting their congratulations with a graceful smile. Maggie looked at her husband, who gaped guiltily and then looked at Carl. Andrea twirled around, her hair around, and looked at him. He shrugged, apologetically.

"I was too excited, I couldn't keep it to myself." He admitted and she couldn't help but smile back at her step-son.

* * *

Later that evening, when their little celebration was over, (if you could call digging just a little deeper into their supplies a celebration), and the kids were in bed, Andrea and Rick sat curled on their little settee and, for just a second, Andrea could almost pretend that the world hadn't ended. There were several tell tale signs around the room, though. There was the fact that the room was lit by a flickering fire, instead of the lights. The television sat, untouched, in the corner, its screen black. The only light outside was the moon and the stars.

"Is this wrong, Rick?" She asked, in a quiet voice, winding around her fingers the rope of her dressing gown. When they'd moved in, they'd found clothes, an abundance of them, and they had no qualms about using them.

"Don't, Andrea." He said, sighing softly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help thinking-"

"I went through this with Lori," He stated, moving so that she was forced to move from her position of leaning against his chest. She looked at him as he spoke, "She had the same worries about Judith and look how that turned out. Can you imagine if Lori had gone through with wanting to abort the baby?"

"I'd rather not." Andrea replied, sharply, a pained expression on her face.

"Exactly. So why are we even having this discussion?"

"Because!" She replied, standing up and moving to pace the lounge. "Because this is different"

"How?"

"Because it is and because I said so!" She insisted, "I can't help but think Lori did have a point. Judith wasn't a cryer, didn't attract alot of attention. What if this baby does? What if it brings a herd down on us and then, once again, we're forced to move? With a baby? With Hershel the way he is, nowadays?"

She had a point. Hershel wasn't exactly moving the way he used to. His amputated leg plus his age put him at a greater risk than most of the others, when they were on the move. Rick sighed.

"This is a good thing, Darlin'" He said, standing up and moving his hands to her shoulders, looking into her eyes, imploringly.

"I want to believe that-"

"So believe it." He cut her off, and smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

It didn't take her worries away, but for the moment, it seemed to make everything better.


	5. Birthday

**Maternal Instinct**

Ch.5: Birthday  


They didn't make a big deal about birthdays anymore. They didn't get a chance, honestly, because it wasn't like they were in the position to host birthday parties. Heck, there was no one to invite to them. Judiths 5th birthday, however, Andrea refused to let pass by unnoticed.

"Are you sure about this?" Rick asked, looking at her as she pulled his gun belt around her slim waist. She glanced back at him, holdg back a smile at the sight of the baby in his arms. Judith wasn't the _baby _anymore, nor was Charlie. Their newest member was Rick and Andreas little girl, Megan.

The contrast between Judith and Megan was almost shocking to behold and, though Andrea never thought of it in that way, any stranger would think they'd taken the child in off the street. At least Carl looked like Rick, Judith didn't have the liberty of looking like either of them, with her dark locks and eyes. Megan had Ricks blue eyes and Andreas blonde curls. She was the typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel that her mother was and Rick admired that about the baby everyday. Judith, of course, loved her little sister, but the day would come when she realized how different she looked, and Andrea wasn't looking forward to it.

"I'm sure, Rick. I'll be with Daryl, I'll be fine." She insisted, as she clipped the belt into place. It was a little big, but if she wore it on a slant, it fit well enough. She pulled the bobble from her wrist to tie her hair up and Rick was taken back a few years. They rarely had to make runs or fight Walkers nowadays and so they usually dressed quite casually, but today, in her combat boots and trousers and her partially open shirt, with vest top underneith, she looked like the fighter he remembered her to be those few years ago. It was like looking back in time. How things had changed.

"I'm ready to go," She said, "Anything you need before I go?"

Rick looked at her sheepishly and she rolled her eyes, laughter making them crease slightly at the edges. She held out her hands and Rick passed Megan to her.

"Get me the diaper bag."

* * *

Once Megan was changed and fresh once more, Andrea kissed the little girl and handed her back to Rick. She then ventured up the stairs to Judiths room, hugged and kissed her little girl and then went outside to find Daryl waiting on the motorbike.

"Ready?" He asked and she nodded, climbing onto the back. Rick had come out to see them off and wondered over to her, kissing her farewell.

"Be safe." He told her, moving his lips from hers to her forehead and she couldn't help but smile, nodding back.

"We will. Keep my babies safe. All four of them."

Rick grinned back at her. "I'm a baby now?"

"You're _my_ baby!"

"Alright, lovebirds, stop with the cheesy crap. I'll try and bring her back in one piece, 'ite? No promises." Daryl told Rick, with a quick wink at Judith, who had snuck up behind Rick to see them off. She giggled and hid her face behind Ricks legs. Daryl kicked the bike into gear and they sped off away from the house and towards the city.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the city and once they did, they both climbed off the bike and headed into what was once the large shopping center. They didn't come across any Walkers on the way in to the store and once in, Andrea pulled a list out of her back pocket.

"What you after?" Daryl asked, walking up behind her to peer at the list over her shoulder.

"Um, some form of gift. A new dress, if I can find one that is decent." She said, "And just a few other things for the group. Maggie wants a new toothbrush, Glenn wants a razor, so does Rick."

"Carl wants condoms." Daryl mumbled, under his breath and Andreas head snapped around to look at him, in shock.

"What?"

Daryl looked back at her, almost laughing. "Oh, come on. The kids almost eigheen. You knew this was gonna happen someday!"

"Well..." Andrea sighed. "Yeah, I guess. But...oh, just don't tell Heshel. He'd have a fit."

"Pretty sure he guessed it, too. Carl and Beth have been making eyes at eachother, like, forever."

"I know, but, is it weird? I mean, she's like three years older than him."

"C'mon, Andrea." Daryl said, walking through the store with her, towards the girls clothes. Most of them had faded in some way or another, but Andrea rooted through until she found the perfect little red-summer dress. It was her size and, miraculously, unfaded and clear of moth holes. "Who else have they got? And they seem happy enough to me. And she's older than him. In the old world, he would have got a slap on the back for scoring a girl like Beth."

"I guess." She smiled slighty, imaging Ricks recation to this new information.

"Aint no guessing about it, lady," He said to her, smirking, "The kids are horny. I say let them at it."

"Well you would, wouldn't you." She replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Hell, yeah."

* * *

It was on the way out that they encountered trouble. They were still laughing about Carls predicament when a Walker grabbed her arm and bared its teeth. She couldn't even scream, couldn't even move. All she could do was watch as the Walkers teeth neared her skin.

Daryls knife came down quickly, pluning into the back of its skull and the Walkers grip on her arm immediately went slack as it slumped to the floor. She put her hand to her chest, feeling her heart race.

"All this for a dress." Daryl stated, in disbelief, "Things you mothers go through."

"Pretend like you didn't pick her something up too."

"What?" He said, indignantly, "All kids have the right to learn to play an instrument. Why shouldn't she have a guitar?"

* * *

Judiths birthday finally came. They wouldn't have known it was her birthday if Andrea hadn't continued to keep track of the days after Amy's death.

Judith woke up on her fifth birthday to find her new dress washed and ironed at the foot of her bed and she excitedly slipped into it. Running down the stairs, she found the rest of the family gathered in the kitchen, awaiting her arrival. Carl was sitting at the table, his brown hair flopping into his eyes, which were still sleepy. Megan was balanced on Andreas hip. Her parents beamed as she enterred the room and she ran over to embrace them. She gave Rick a quick hug and then wrapped her arms around Andreas legs, closing her eyes at the feeling of comfort her mothers presence always brought her.

"Thank you for my dress, mummy, I love it!" She said and Andrea smiled, passing her youngest daughter to her father and lifting Judith up into her arms.

"You are welcome, sweetpea!" She replied, as Judith rested her head against her neck. "I baked you a cake, too. Would you like some for breakfast?"

"Uh..." Judith replied, unsuredy, "Maybe later, mummy, I wanna go show Auntie Maggie and Uncle Glenn my dress." She kissed Andreas cheek once more and then jumped down, running out of the room.

"Anyone else-" The room was empty before she could ask if anyone else wanted cake. "Yeah, probably for the best." She smiled to herself, contented.


End file.
